Just Another Group of Tourists

With only a couple days left on the trip this day was dedicated to being tourists. Another delicious hotel breakfast. I went for the fruit plate this day as my stomach was still feeling the Flor de Cana. We went zip lining, boating, fed monkeys, and hiked around an active volcano! It was a fantastic day, and up to this point the best so far for me. I had been wanting to see monkeys all week!

First zip lining at Mombacho Volcano. I'm adventurous and usually don't get too nervous about things like this. Once I was about to leave the platform though I did have a little surge of "Oh F#*#". It was so awesome though! I went upside down like a bad ass, and would definitely do it again. There were a few different ways you could go and most of us tried them out. The guys who took us were very nice, and probably have one of the best jobs in the world. They took lots of photos for us. It's a great way to see some scenery, and I think it would be even better in the rainy season.

Lunch was shrimp pasta on the street. Seafood is not great for hangovers, but it was still pretty good. The fishy smell and the heat did get to me a bit, and I was ready to be on the next thing pretty soon. A mentally disturbed man approached us while we were eating. He became very agitated and the servers literally chased him off with a broom. This reminded me again of Senegal where there are not facilities, or any structured healthcare to help those with mental illness. A little bit of a dark spot in an otherwise perfect day.

Next, we went out on Lake Nicaragua. This was the highlight of the day, and second best part of the whole trip for me. It was so beautiful, peaceful, and just amazing. There were little houses on the many small islands, and finally monkeys!! There were women selling coconut cookies as you got on the boat (and beers too). They told us we could feed the monkeys on the islands if we saw any so I got some. When we got to one of these islands the monkeys came down from the trees and grabbed the cookies gently out of my hand. They had soft little leathery hands and were so docile. I shared some with the rest of the group so we could all have the experience. OMG so cute! there were two species of monkey on the island. The orange ones were not afraid of people at all. I'm sure tourists feed them often. I would totally live on one of these islands after I retire. Or now. Yep, just take me back now!

That's me feeding a  monkey by hand!

There are a lot of islands with awesome houses

The lake was really big.

Such amazing views!!

                                               

The Masaya Volcano was pretty cool. We went up the side to a small museum first. It was very interesting. It told about the history of the volcano, the area, and the local folklore surrounding it. It was still active and we went up to the crater to see the inside. There was so much smoke we couldn't see into it very far. The whole area was very very dry, and there was no wildlife at all. In the rainy season I bet it would be very pretty and have more animals.

This is the area below where lava has previously flown.

We were then going to go to an artesian market, but it was so hot and I think we all were happy to save that for another time. We went back to Granada, showered up, rested, and went out for dinner. I had octopus. It was in a creamy garlic sauce, and if it hadn't been so rich I would have had another plate! I got Brad to try it with me and he wasn't a fan due to the texture. Then we went to another place and had some drinks while sitting on the street. A man came by who had maracas. They were painted (by his mother), but he could carve any name and some designs into them. He did it very fast and it was such a cool transformation to watch.

Octopus!

Before he begins

The final product.

Chelsea and I stayed up late this night and ended up talking to another group of Americans, and a kid who lived there. His job was to sell palm fronds that he folded into flowers or grasshoppers. His life story was of course a bit sad, and it was very representative of the limited opportunities kids have there. He basically had no choice but to work all evening into the night. He also told us about the difficulties of trying to go to school. There are only a few requirements, but even those expenses are too much for him. His current situation is not unique there, and many kids struggle to get an education.